Aston Villa have opened dual talks over the signing of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, though Tottenham fully intend to launch a bid of their own despite the player’s sky high price tag emerging.Gallagher, 24, has just 12 months remaining on his existing deal at Chelsea. The Blues have attempted to tie Gallagher down to fresh terms, though as yet have not matched the midfielder’s financial demands.The expectation is Chelsea will reluctantly give the green light to a sale if a new agreement isn’t quickly thrashed out this summer.Indeed, losing a highly saleable asset for nothing would represent bad business in the extreme, especially as Gallagher is a homegrown player. The sales of homegrown stars represent pure profit on the books.Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino does not want to sell Gallagher, though the decision may be taken out of his hands.Per the reliable David Ornstein, Aston Villa have not only opened talks with Chelsea regarding the transfer, but they’re also in discussions with Gallagher regarding personal terms.Villa have already struck a verbal agreement to sign Luton Town’s Ross Barkley worth £5m. Nonetheless, manager Unai Emery is determined to bolster his midfield further ahead of a Champions League campaign.Gallagher is rated very highly by Emery and one factor that could work in Villa’s favour is Chelsea’s interest in striker Jhon Duran.Furthermore, Chelsea and Aston Villa share healthy relations following the transfer of Carney Chukwuemeka in 2022.Gallagher fee revealed; Tottenham to interveneOn the subject of how much Gallagher would cost, Chelsea have made it clear it’s £50m or bust.That represents a gigantic outlay for a player who would be available as a free agent just 12 months from now.Nonetheless, Villa are still proceeding with their plans to sign Gallagher and are primed to face stiff competition from Tottenham.Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is a huge admirer of Gallagher and initially explored his signing in the January window.Sky Sports state Tottenham are fully expected to thunder in with a bid of their own and the presence of two suitors will enhance Chelsea’s chances of generating the full £50m.Sky also offered insight as to how Chelsea landed on that transfer valuation.The Blues are of the opinion Gallagher is a more rounded player than Mason Mount was at the time of his exit to Manchester United one year ago. That’s despite Mount winning back-to-back Chelsea Player of the Year awards in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons.Mount joined Man Utd for £50m plus £5m in add-ons. As such, Chelsea hope to secure a similar fee for Gallagher and in this case, won’t benefit from the notoriously free-spending Man Utd being among the bidders.
